Damocles

Dam·o·cles

[dam-uh-kleez]
noun
1.
a flatterer who, having extolled the happiness of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, was seated at a banquet with a sword suspended over his head by a single hair to show him the perilous nature of that happiness.
2.
sword of Damocles, any situation threatening imminent harm or disaster.

Dam·o·cle·an [dam-uh-klee-uhn] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To Damocles
Collins
World English Dictionary
Damocles (ˈdæməˌkliːz) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
classical myth See also Sword of Damocles a sycophant forced by Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, to sit under a sword suspended by a hair to demonstrate that being a king was not the happy state Damocles had said it was
 
Damo'clean
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Damocles is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Damocles
courtier of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse; his name in Gk. means lit. "fame of the people," from demos, damos "people" (see demotic) + -kles "fame," a common ending in Gk. proper names (e.g. Sophocles,
Pericles), from PIE *klew-es, from base *kleu- "to hear" (see listen). To teach Damocles how a tyrant lives, Dionysius seated him at a banquet with a sword suspended above his head by a single hair.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT